KB 
EBB 


HB 


fctack 
STACK  AIj 


500 
2083 


^m 

r   ••^f.-^-^^f^^ 


m 


California 

'gional 

|3ility 


•I 

HH 


The  Library 
University  of  California,  Los  Angeles 


The  gift  of  Mrs.  Cummings,  1963 


REPRINTED  FROM  THE  JEWISH  QUARTERLY  REVIEW 

NEW  SERIES 
VOLUME  VIII,  NUMBER  3 


A   SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


BY 


ALEXANDER   MARX 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  DROPSIE  COLLEGE  FOR  HEBREW  AND  COGNATE  LEARNING 

1918 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

A  PICTURE  OF  JEWISH  LIFE  IN  BOHEMIA  AND  MORAVIA. 

FROM  A  MANUSCRIPT  IN  THE  JEWISH  THEOLOGICAL 

SEMINARY. 

By  ALEXANDER  MARX,  Jewish  Theological  Seminary 
of  America. 

CONSIDERING  the  scarcity  of  autobiographical  writings 
in  Jewish  literature,  the  publication  of  the  short  text  here 
offered  to  the  reader  does  not  require  an  apology.  The 
author,  who  was  born  in  1668,  was  a  plain  man,  gifted 
neither  with  great  scholarship — his  style  being  in  many 
parts  very  poor — nor  with  particular  brilliancy.  His  story, 
which  extends  over  the  first  seventeen  years  of  his  life 
(1668-85)  only>  but  was  written  many  years  later,  is  on 
the  whole  commonplace,  but  in  spite  of  this  it  will  be 
found  to  be  of  considerable  interest  as  a  human  document. 
Our  author  was  undoubtedly  a  Schlumiehl.  This  character- 
istic is  probably  responsible  for  the  curious  fact  that  while 
the  names  of  his  parents  and  grandparents,  brothers,  aunts, 
and  other  members  of  his  family  are  mentioned,1  his  own 
name  appears  nowhere  in  his  little  note-book.  He  was, 
however,  a  fairly  good  observer,  and  the  value  of  this  short 
autobiography  lies  in  the  typical  description  of  everyday 
life  of  the  Jewish  inhabitants  of  a  Bohemian  village,  such 
as  we  seldom  meet  in  our  historical  sources  because  it  was 
considered  too  trivial.  Of  particular  interest  are  the  facts 

1  See  the  Family  Tree  of  the  writer. 
VOL.  VIII.  269  T 


500208,'! 


270  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

we  gather  about  the  relations  of  the  Jews  to  their  gentile 
neighbours,  and  more  especially  to  the  nobility  of  the 
villages,  about  the  jealousy  existing  among  themselves 
as  well  as  about  the  state  of  Jewish  teachers  and  Jewish 
education  in  general.  The  author's  observations  are  not 
limited  to  the  small  villages  in  this  respect ;  he  had  occasion 
to  gather  information  in  regard  to  larger  Jewish  communities 
like  Meseritsch  and  even  Prague,  and  there,  we  must  say, 
conditions  were  decidedly  better.  His  own  father  had  in 
the  course  of  his  eventful  life  acted  for  a  fe\v  years  as 
elementary  teacher  in  the  community  of  Lichtenstadt 
before  he  became  in  turn  a  distiller,  a  pedlar  in  jewellery, 
an  arrendar  and  'Hofjude'  of  a  small  Count,  &c.  His 
experiment  in  teaching  his  two  sons  at  the  same  time, 
irrespective  of  the  difference  in  their  ages  and  their  know- 
ledge, selecting  the  treatise  of  Sotah  by  which  to  introduce 
his  younger  son  into  the  intricacies  of  the  Talmud,  does 
not  give  us  a  very  high  opinion  of  his  accomplishments  as 
a  pedagogue. 

The  author  speaks  of  only  one  of  his  teachers  with  love, 
and  to  him  and  his  wife  he  indites  a  touching  memorial 
with  the  statement  that,  while  he  taught  the  boys  Talmud, 
she  inculcated  the  fear  of  God  and  the  beauty  of  a  virtuous 
life. 

The  description  of  the  ravages  of  the  awful  plague 
which  in  1681  devastated  Bohemia  and  in  Prague  alone 
had  over  eighty- three  thousand  victims,2  is  really  remarkable 
with  its  gruesome  details. 

2  See  Haeser,  Lehibitch  dcr  Geschiclite  der  Medicin  tmd  der  epidemischen 
Krankheiten,  vol.  Ill,  p.  415  (Jena,  1882),  and  P.  R.  Redlich,  Historia  peslis 
annis  1680  ei  1681  Prague  grassatae  (Prague,  1682),  quoted  by  Haeser,  which 
is  inaccessible  to  me.  I  owe  this  reference  o  Dr.  Harry  Friedenwald. 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX     271 

The  great  historical  events  of  the  time  likewise  did  not 
pass  without  leaving  their  impress  upon  the  life  of  the 
little  Bohemian  villager.  The  outbreak  of  the  Turkish  war, 
heralded  by  a  comet,3  drove  him  home  from  Meseritsch, 
just  as  the  Chmielnicki  persecutions  drove  his  grandmother 
from  Poland  a  generation  before. 

Most  of  the  persons  who  played  a  part  in  the  life  of 
our  author  are  entirely  unknown,  but  by  a  happy  coinci- 
dence some  of  the  most  prominent  Rabbis  of  his  country 
arc  mentioned  in  his  biography.  His  grandmother  was 
the  sister  of  the  famous  Moravian  '  Landesrabbiner '  R. 
Menahem  Mendel  Krochmal.4  In  the  house  of  this  Rabbi 
the  mother  of  our  author  received  her  education,  and  his 
son,  R.  Judah  Loeb,5  who  in  later  years  filled  his  father's 
place,  proved  in  turn  a  godsend  in  the  life  of  the  father 
of  our  author,  inasmuch  as  he  generously  lent  him  jewellery 
and  other  merchandise,  thus  enabling  him  to  earn  a  proper 
living.  His  grandmother  on  his  father's  side  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  the  renowned  cabbalistic  author,  R.  Eleazar 
Perels.6  R.  Jacob  Backofen,  more  commonly  called 


3  The  various  opinions  expressed  as  to  this  comet  caused  Pierre  Bayle 
to  publish  a  famous  little  book  which,  in  the  English  translation  before  me, 
bears  the  title  :  Miscellaneous  reflections  occasion' d  by  the  comet  which  appeared 
in  December  1680.     Chiefly  tending  to  explode  popular  superstitions.      Written 
to  a  Doctor  of  the  Sorbonne  by  Mr.  Bayle.      Translated  from  the  French.     In 
two  volumes.     London,  1708. 

4  See  Horodetzki,  Hagoren,  II,  32-7  ;  D.  Kauffmann,  ibid.,  38  seq. 

5  See  Kauffmann,  ibid.,  40-41. 

6  See  Kauffmann's  note  in  Hock,  Die  Familien  Prags,  Pressburg,  1892, 
p.  282,  and  the  literatu'e  quoted  there ;  also  A.  Berliner,  Abhandhmg  uber 
den  Siddur  dcs  Schablai  ha-Sofer  ans  Przcmy'sl,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,i9O9,  p.  vii. 
It  is  not  quite  clear  what  our  author  means  by  his  statement,  '  his  son  was 
Moses  Kuskes '.      Kuskes   was    the    family  name   of    R.    Eleazar   Perels' 
father-in-law,  but  hardly  of  his  own  son. 

T  2 


272  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

Reischer,7  who  died  as  Rabbi  of  Metz  in  1733,  was  a  very 
well-known  talmudic  writer.  His  Minhat  Jakob,  which 
our  author  mentions,  appeared  in  1689.  Our  writer  thank- 
fully records  the  readiness  of  that  great  scholar  to  instruct 
him  in  his  boyhood,  but  he  adds  that  his  masterful  wife, 
the  proud  daughter  of  the  Bohemian  Landesrabbiner  R. 
(Benjamin)  Wolf  Spira,8  did  not  permit  it.9 

As  to  Meir,  the  Shohet  of  the  community  of  Vienna,  the 
father  of  our  writer's  step-mother,  some  information  is  to 
be  found  in  the  genealogical  letter  of  his  son  Moses, 
published  by  L.  Lazarus.10  We  learn  that  he  was  a  nephew 
of  the  rich  Koppel  Fraenkel,  that  after  the  expulsion  from 
Vienna  in  1670  he  settled  in  Meseritsch,  where  he  died, 
and  that  he  had  three  more  sons  in  addition  to  the 
two  mentioned  in  our  account.  Several  of  the  family 
names  we  come  across  are  known  to  us,  through  Hock's 
valuable  work  on  the  Prague  families,  to  have  been  current 
there,  e.  g.  Fleckeles,  Wagenmacher,  and  Giinzburg.  The 
member  of  the  latter  family,  who  employed  our  author  as 
a  tutor  for  his  sons  for  a  short  time,  Moses  G.,  might  be 
identical  with  the  R.  Mosche  Kintzburg  who,  according 
to  the  curious  account  of  the  pageant  arranged  in  Prague 
on  May  18,  1716,  in  honour  of  the  birth  of  Prince  Leopold 
of  Austria,  published  by  Schudt,11  acted  as  leader  of  the 


7  See  Steinschneider,  Cat.  Bod!.,  1248-50,  Fuenn,  PK"^  DD33,  575-6, 
R£j.,  VIII,  271-3. 

8  See  Hock  in  K.  Lieben,  Gal-Ed,  Prag,  1856,  p.  39,  no.  65. 

9  The  same  lady,  after  her  husband's  death  in  1733,  prevented  by  her 
energetic  protest  the  election  of  R.  Jonathan  Eibeschutz  as  his  successor  in 
the  Metz  Rabbinate.     See  the  letter  of  her  grandson  Nehemiah  Reischer 
in  Emden's  J1CN  DD'J',  Lemberg,  1877,  f-  u  b,    cp.  JR£j.,  VIII,  273. 

10  MGirj.  56,  1912.  pp.  352-3. 

11  Judische  Merkuilrdigkeiten,  vol.  IV,  continuation  III,  p.  153. 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX   273 

scribes.  Probably  he  is  the  Moses  ben  Loeb  Kinzburg 
who  died  September  12  of  the  same  year.12  The  difference 
in  the  spelling  of  the  name  may  be  due  to  a  slip  of  memory 
of  the  writer  who  uses  the  more  common  spelling. 

Some  of  the  identifications  of  geographical  names 13 
in  the  text  are  due  to  my  revered  teacher,  Professor 
Berliner,  who  many  years  ago  had  borrowed  my  copy 
of  the  manuscript  and  wrote  the  transliterations  of  these 
names  on  the  margin.  Polna  for  ptaa  was  suggested  by 
Professor  Deutsch,  who  also  considers  it  possible  that 
sjNDNl,  spDKl  is  the  village  of  Wostrow. 

The  manuscript  from  which  the  following  text  is  taken 
forms  part  of  a  collection  presented  to  the  Jewish  Theo- 
logical Seminary  by  Messrs.  Moses  and  Marks  Ottinger. 
It  is  briefly  described  in  Catalogue  XI  of  Messrs.  Schwager 
&  Fracnkel,  Husiatyn,  under  no.  no.  It  is  an  autograph 
written  in  a  cursive  German  hand;  it  measures  13-7  X  9-5 
cm.  It  begins  with  the  title  nii1~i3Tn  13D,  followed  by  three 
blank  leaves.  The  autobiography  fills  fols.  i-n  a  ;  between 
fols.  10  and  n  the  author  evidently  tore  out  a  leaf.  The 
next  page  has  a  short  note  on  his  travels,  which  forms 
a  kind  of  continuation  of  the  text,  and  is  printed  here  as 
such,  together  with  a  set  of  good  resolutions  drawn  up  at 
various  times,  which  contain  some  further  biographical 
material  and  are  characteristic  of  the  writer,  but  do  not 
seem  to  require  translation.  They  are  found  on  fol.  34 
of  the  manuscript.  Fols.  12-25  contain  ethical  and  philo- 
sophical reflections  in  fifteen  paragraphs,  interrupted  by 
cabbalistic  combinations  (15  a)  and  blank  pages  (i5b-i7a). 

12  Hock,  he.  tit.,  66;  note  2,  rTyn  is  a  misprint  for  1"yn. 

13  They  mostly  do  not  occur  in  M.  Griimvald's  article  in  his  Das  Jiidische 
Centralblatt,  VIII,  pp.  37-42. 


274  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

An  account  of  troubles  the  writer  had  in  Zante  some 
Friday  begins  fol.  34  b,  but  breaks  off  in  the  middle. 
On  fol.  42  we  find  some  dietetic  rules  to  strengthen  the 
memory,  including  the  advice  to  eat  only  once  a  day  at 
noon  ;  on  fol.  453  a  letter  of  recommendation  of  the  central 
academy  of  Venice  (nNTyi  na  nc'N  JV^n  n:rc»n)  for  a  poor 
man  who  had  been  deprived  of  his  all  by  robbers  during 
his  travels  ;  neither  the  name  of  the  poor  man  (our  writer?) 
nor  the  signatures  are  reproduced,  and  the  date  is  incom- 
plete ('3iN  n:n  n:t?,  perhaps  rbv  [see  Exod.  33.  20]  is  to 
be  added,  making  5479-1719).  On  fol.  46  a,  he  copies  an 
amulet  obtained  from  the  pupils  of  R.  Moses  Sacuto ;  the 
end  of  the  booklet  (52  b~53)  contains  business  entries  about 
parchments  purchased  for  and  loans  received  from  various 
persons.  The  names  occurring  here  are :  R.  Benjamin 
Cohen  of  Reggio  (N»;np  pan  p'J3  n'nnio  wno),  Castel 
Bolognese,  Abraham  and  Samuel  Corinaldi,  Esra  Cantan, 
Hananel,  Michael  Malach,  Isaac  Rabbino,  Eliezer  ibn  Roi, 
&c.  The  rest  of  the  volume  is  mostly  blank. 

Although  the  text  offers  no  difficulties,14  the  following 
translation  was  not  thought  to  be  superfluous  owing  to  the 
general  interest  of  the  autobiography.  Naturally  it  does 
not  aim  at  literalness  while  trying  to  give  a  fair  reproduc- 
tion of  the  writer's  account. 

For  the  convenience  of  the  reader,  the  writer's  statements 
about  his  family  are  summarized  in  the  following  family- 
tree  : — 

14  As  we  deal  with  an  autograph,  the  text  is  reproduced  as  it  is  in  the 
manuscript  without  any  corrections.  I  have  not  considered  it  necessary 
to  draw  attention  to  the  numerous  inaccuracies  of  the  writer,  his  serious 
grammatical  mistakes,  and  so  on.  They  are  characteristic  of  the  man,  just 
as  the  fact  that  he  hardly  ever  makes  a  period,  and  only  once  a  new 
paragraph  in  the  whole  account. 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX      275 


I'l*  J3g 

""c3    2    <"  rt  _. 

S*a  ll 

*=<  H-^1-1 


w 

H 


K 


w 
w 


g  u  M'o 

«  °  i 

D-c  m  r 

cj'S'—S 

N  J3 

•S  «  S? 

a?  I 


276  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 


rmran 


nnn  'no  N>N  wr  x    *v  own  -no 

mira  loita  -lira  mm  N^ISO  N3  mn  IUNP  ^"r  3py  Ynro  vpi 
^"r  ^n  omaK  Ynro  ict?i  nma  nanoa  p^yp  p'pa  new  nph 
mm  b'an  »a»pT  »a«  INCOI  noi  ^"r  apy»  "i"nna  y>pr  »aK  nx  n^im 
•as  /nnetw  *oi  va«  rrn  &W£BD  n^np  m»Ko  yi^  N^  nxr  ^a  pp 
jnn  n'n  pyrao  p/p  -i"iniM  nn  ^"r  rf?yb  nno  ntrs^  npi?  i?"r  wpr 
nso  ^y  unn»ai  iry^  pt^on  nao  nB>yc>  e^nye  niy^N  Y'-inio  ^ 
vn  D^a  !?"T  Dipoip  ntw  "iwnmo3  I»B>  n>n  133  onao  IN^I  njpn 

»3N  DK  »3  1^  n«n  N^  in»l   Q*T3T  D"33   TO3  T'h.TI  3K1B  p"p  m 

n":&"i  npm  ncty  nnx  nwa  ^n^  ^s*  ^n  omaN  n"iniDD  IOB'I  '»m 
mm  IEN^  vaK^  n»m  p  mm  vniyn  mm  TD^  ^m  »3Ni  ^oya  mo 
o^na  nn  rnw^  i^  unai  n^a-ii  n^na  »a»ya  ;n  KSCI  ^a^ia 
pha  nianoo  obyn  P"PO  i?"r  ^sprn11  n'nna  nn  bnayaa  HID 

mip  N»a^B3  nn  b*an  b"r  ^xpim  n'nna  ^pr  "aw  fop 


*atjn  onar  0*03  nefop  D^in^n  ny  nae^s 
nnu  nx  n«nm  nnp-'a  D^ya  31  ^n  nc-x  njvn  ^nty  ^  nain 
DE>B  in-i3  p^ia  nwno  ^3  ^  n^na  naanen  iN3B>  ny 
bv  ^"01  3i  n'-n  i!w  '-ns  r.N  NSDI  nia^p-a  p"p^  pyo 
Hayo  nrao  Yimo  ^nan  3nn  HNT  IOSPI  nancn  ^3  3-11  ri^n  p"p 
ninana  m»3ai  p»nsr  n»^  IBD  ^  n"i^  nano  ^ya  ^" 
f3  n"am  i>wan  3in  nci  n"y  i?n:y::  nnio 
N^n  Nim  b'sr  3^  NTin11  n'nmo  i>nan  3nn  IOB>  mm  nwana 
oy  no^aam  ina  nrpn  ib«3  i>na  pa  nb  fnai  ''m  »a«i»  »rnio  '•CN 
n  ^m  *asi  a"»Bt^p*a  p"pa  hna  nnsa  naini?  '<IT 
3py  n"nnn  ^pr  "3N  oyan  TNI  pmyo  ni3>nD3  e-'onryo  p"p3  m 
nn»n  int^N  nn"n^  »nav?  *ONI  mn^vn3  n»iyi  n^y  mn  ^"r  '•i^n 
nmn  pi  rTaa  n3nyjsi  noae'Di  TND  ny  anon  ni^oa  ni»yai 
UNI  naunai  no3n3  ry  "inui  nNc>  in»a  n"y  ^i:y:a  nn 
iN3  pNic'jn  IHN  o^a^  ny3i«  IN  n^cy  s)iin3i  mm3  poiy  mn  ^n11 
r6naa  Dn-nac  in-ni  n3snnn^  pnyo  ni:^^  Dmpm  trhoflCBW 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX      2/7 

N^I  VD33?3  73  wyn  ^ya  .THE?  uyoai  crva  ni3n»b  myii 
oy  ^"r  ^n  apy  Ynna  ^•'pr  UN  nrni  nmoaao  oyo  mu 
nn-'a  nian»3  nNt?a  a"ai  n"y  '•ON  ay  ^n11  UNI  int^Ni  vniaa 
UN  nx  p"pn  natri  DNID^  |Ua^  p"p^  iyam  Dn^a  nia^itt  nvp  iy 
Dpn  inu  Nvm  irn  a"nNi  D'W  nr^N  nt?  n»yi  nipia^n  itbxb  'TV 
mniynr  roNni  n^anio  nya  mam  n"y  '•nnio  ^»N  noannn  nan  ^3D 


N»m  pa^o  ni^y  ix  nwn»3  aimn  n^in: 
TI^I  mina  poyi  nc'1'  '••n1'  ^NI  nnM[n]ni  nitkw  mu  ni?y  pi  maa 
•Tnty  i»*ST  a^  n"iniD  i>nan  mn  Nin  ij-'by  nniy  t^iip  B»K  nam  nvn 
n  ni^npn  ^y  none  iniwoi  B'oa^nta  p*pa  n"2N  TK 
UN  nun  jDaxnj-i  '*m  UN  bu>  inu  xin  QB>  n^x  ^onrxno  P"P 
"v]  DN  non  nc>yi  mn  p  nTi  ntrxD  n^y  nnni  ^"r  ^mi»  "•»«  niva 
nNn  ^nyao  103  ann  ^03  ^  nnino  nrx  nu  jroi  ''•n1'  UN  [oy 
pi  mianai  nmnai  niiDNa  nn^i  nN^  icvy  ^n^  na  n^nona 
riNrn  n^yn  nc'n  ^N  aipna  '•"y^  ^ar  ''"y  ni3T  j^a^asi  mini 
naiotj'  oy  na  DTO  .TH^  nn  pm  nainn  nu  inji  v^ya  jn 
nioo  mc'y^  jn  nxuni  naw^cn  nupj6  D^nntrD  ib  jnai  n^na 
WD'tb  nsn  D^IDD  IDI  ppn  nat^n  pjioa  ii>  yna  n^n  usi 
m^in  THIC  ""CNI  r6nah  n^ycl?  n^y  I^NI  j«aoi  D{^  ainaa 
nuan  n"n  ^HN  pt^x-in  rvth&  onar  Q'aa  15  [nnoi  n^nno  'vi '«  nn]  ib 
n»i  np»  inc^  iTn  'am  nraai  hm  ^yn  saN  'am  jiobp  n*nna  onnon 
iNa  nnya^D  ^"r  ^N  ntspt^i  nna  u  M11!  .na^n  Tin  ION  nn^o 
nnoi  ^"i^  ]"n  ^  i^n'i  ^xn  ^  DHNHI  nin^cn 
n-'n  N^  u  la'nnx  ba  iab  nicy  nniar  Q^atJ'  '11  n^^  na 
DIU  nnoi  DUIO  D^ymi  nsnui  ncana  ni>  n»m  "i"yn  baa  n 
p  IN  w»n  '3«i  a"bnn  nacj'  n^N  ^in^  '•'D'1  n"a  -npina  'a  na^n 
nhna  n^(N  '"nH  UN  np^  na^n  imai  D>at^  'r  p  ^nan  '•HNI  D^a^  'n 
jna  TNI  sa'ii  P"P  Nnon  nrn^  n-xo  n^inioa  na  /i(nn  h^na  nn» 
p\nij  ntw5>  snn  ^oya  nno  ininN  nN  sm  UN 
oyo  m^  nn\n  '^  I:UN  nc'Ni  sai^n  i^yi 
'n  HDH  •'hh  ia^n  D"Dya  nrai  o^aup  n^aa!?  TIIVH  ^3  nvpaa  ianiN 

15  Added  bclvvccn  tlic  lines. 


278  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

nnxa  aha  rbv  niaan  aai  l/i  'b^>  r,i^  i;nx  ax  'na>pr  'D«  nom 


nioa  nay  p  ixya  n<ny  nc-o  nn  no  a"ayx  i:nix 
nmyi  niima  ii>  ypai?  ^nnn  '»rv  <:x  n:x  rn*o  -inx  NTT  irncx 
fTp  vax  aai  16  [nab  axa  nsrvai»i  nmx  nyaio  nrvn  ^"r  »OK  «rus>] 
'^n*  w»3«  nc^  nsp  MCCI  nnn^  5>yai  nap  VD»  b  n»n  i^  n!~D^  os»n 
'ipim  mm6  n^wa  ^n  «l>i  in:y:a  pny  sne>  »ab  niaa  n^nca 
mano  •Tne'  lace  D»y»n  njray  nyai  nnni  iro  n«  po  NVCI  •  -:ICD 
l^cai  -pyn  ne'n  nan«  n^»  v5>an  ms3  nnn  i^aai  D^B>  noa  oncy  *a« 
mnxb  '^aism  na:  nn^  ncnfei?  ^m  inirnj  ns  ism  nan  n»a^  'a 
ny  paa  iai?  n»n  N^  'an  nrni  naipn  'an  n^n  n>a  »ax  n«  aryi  'ipim 
DnW6  psn  nap  ^y  n?ooi  ^a»na  atrn  fw  N"NI  pt^nn  cDcria  -ax 
*a  nynn  avin  nupy  ny-n  onsny  "inn  n-an  vn  am  omn^n  VSMK  naa 
^2  rpoy  cnapib  nvyi  wry  ^aa  •vno  t^x  rs  n»n  o'n  'rv  -ans*  --ax 
lannai  Ha11  niaai  win  nmnb  7^na  n^poy  niwfo  ac'ni  naiam  nsy 
nib^y  ii?  KSO  i^m  v^y  wt^m  icvi  ^asa  inn  rx  iwrtxan  va'ix  -a 
D'^nn  'a  i»a  'nioxn  n^aa  itrarn  D-poy  nx^ai  Tin  p^i  naian  poya 
;n^  'w  ^ax  nnnas'  ny  '^pmob  *£n  'xn  i^n  ^a  ^vo  HID  pxi 
nn  xiin  ^aa  17nsxi  nncpa  rxa^  ixi  nyan  TXI  nuiai  lain  -vn  i^? 
b*i  apy^  n'tna  jpin  vax  ny  x*x  nx  yna^  n»no  it?p3i  xrao 

ru:n  trjna  n'n  nr  'x  ^ax  nx  tn-ai  nry  pi  ini?na 
am  ^>ya  n^ny  "a!?  Tiia'pr  ny  xanna  ma  b"r  »a»pr 

'w  'x  »aw  D^a^  '?  p  WM  cyan  ixi  o^  vra  n»n  x^i  '"la 
jnai  xB'ai  nov  ^naa  *anix  Dipo  j^iasin  noan  'x  i*ya  nytr  ^  mn 
nrci  D»3iQ  rr^yoi  mine  niaai  ^oiao  »n«n  ":xi  'x  nay  nncy 
naan  n:pi  non^on  *aniyn  nyn  irn-j  "a^  5110x1  iotn  'x  naa^  yoa 
noo  mv  *n«n  '•ax  bax  m^naa  sjamonb  x*x  irn  rxi  m^n:i>  r^n 
P*P^  "nix  x^ani?  x'x  "niynn  a'nx  inioai  jnx  -pnai  mina  HDD 
nn  i?*an  hnan  ^nx  rx  p  aa  nM  aen  av  n^no  nioo  n'ni?  axna 
x"x  "a  ncixo  w^y  xi>  BB>  aai  a'-ac'  nya>n  p  -n^n  rxi  nnina  n\n 
T3w'm  131CD  ^y  on  nvn^  ac*n  ax^  Tivirsa  a^a^ayn  -noi>  yT1  xi>  o"n 
^>-lV  iTn  noxai  "^y  n-a^n  ayo  •K&om  oino  nar-a  nci»c^  -nix 

16  Added  between  the  lines. 

17  a"^>  nay. 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  —  MARX      279 


'trp  IN  Tvn  'ax  ^  IN  r£yin^  ^  niobf>  nvn  n-n  CN  nbna  nrno 
rvn  vhstw  n^axm  pnE>  N^O  TvnB'  D^n  ma^oo  ,nan  man 
cy  firm  nvaop  vro  onnsa  *?avh  axnsa  nam  PE>  rniyab  E'N3 
onx  DV.?  ^y  rvr^D  n\n  &6i  hna  p^a  ^  nna  nn  nNon  DJ?D 
nar  ona  nr  ^y  Damn  N^  JNID!?  D^yD  nca  N"N 


103   ^K    <3X          \T\W    DyiD   13^3    D'BHn 

D":^  'n  IN  ii>  ,Tnr  '^n^  pyoc'  ICB'  n»n»  wab  xnm^  nvnb 
i»a«  nc'ian  n^  ^y  icy  Tmnh  u-i^?  w^inb  yvob  i^ 
no  ^3  D^a^5  y^'13  nay  oysn  TN  ')n'i<ir!B'  nso  ny  i^jy  ^n 


1233  103  mim  nnv  Dyci  ^-IN  Tin3  ^ovy 
TN  rvn  hn:n  sns  pi  in^3^  TUN  nrni  MIDD  b  on  ^"s«  bx  onaan 

D^^    n"1    IN  J"'    p   133   iTnt^  TIN  1OVy3  13^  110^  Nin^  3KT!  ni(33 

^N  ^3N  n'-pnai  rvmTm  D^emci  ••Vn  '"s  103  man  nan  woo  noi> 
noi?  I-JBID  n3Do  N~ir:a  ••oy  nio^  ^nnn  i3N  nnvo  no^o  ^  n.nx  n\n 
N3ii  <i<i3st  bf  ni"aiD3  o^iyo  ^an  Ti^n  N^  ^NI  DTIB'  IN  oya  ns^nn  ^ 
ny  nan  DVkr  Tino^  N/I  a^tri  nvo11  nzioo  la^ni  nay  pi  nx'ea  N/I 
^3  nianva  bniao  ny3  Ti^nty  ^b  '"NN  wyz  jn  ^3  «:*ya  pp3  Ti^nK' 
aao  ^  rrn  »h  N"'  p  Ti^nts'  MN  I3in  DN  rrn  N^  p'pj 
rrn  --"NN  noN3  ^  ^y  n'-ac'o  PNI  trbyao  "i?3  P[n»i  pnn 
na  IN  p  IN  na^  ^33  oyo3  in^'N  i^»  nnb1  oyan  TN  ^  n^^p 
TUN  -Nn^  •>•£>  naiLD  mi^a  va^ya  rrn  Tin-o  ^?y  TN  i^  "i^ao  n^nc'  'o 
niaa  IN  n-n  i?nan  TIN  ^3N  "na  ypv  ny  nan  mub  mt^  wri  N/I  nia 


n'^nn  D'at?  TIE'  103  nr  n\m  ••a  i^'io  n^3  n^a  saa  ^>ao  naiyoi  naino 
Na  TNI  iNns  p"p3  Dna3i  on^a  nianoa  nan  Na  c"nn  nat^ai  D'^nm 
mo  intys  cy  3py  nnao  nano  p"iN  pa  apy  n"nmo  ann  ;NnDi?  pin 
n"nmo  pwn  p  n^'i  n"nmo  ann  niaa  i?n^na  nno  nninxi  bw 
i>"an  ann  ^  ini:niay  ncai  iJTi^a  na33  uoy  inoyi  Nn-s 
ntaio  m^'N  ^3N  mpiaTi  no^oa  <oy  nio^  HIID^  n^n  Nin^  nair 
^OSD  ^  ••hna  "as  Ti^^n  ncn  ^nnai  n^on  nioa!?  nn^an  N^I  vby 
no  103  Tpvn  ni^h  D^o11  'a  103  nniya  nnnpa  Ti«m  ne:c 


280  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

bi  i^ni  nyn  PN  ioa  nyia  »IKNV  ^y  ;HN  ninN  'N  njna  NX<  DTD*  'a 
ren  rvab  IHN  D^PD^  i^ivao  imai  ITIPNI  i>"3n  ain  p-aini  rva  ya 
NoyiTyi?  npy  ipm  weipo^  a^ao  lain  rrn  Dyan  TNI  puiN  p"p^> 
ica  ixacno  pirn  bna  lya  py  p:a  ^P  omn  MP  pp  n^a  u*m 
Dns2o  en-is  wna  onaano  'N^  ^n  nr«  xa  DNI  'N*  .ID-IS 
a^ao  B'IJD  nyy  ntwii  rbn  iy^   DIP-MI  on^ao  Dtnan  b 
nvacn  »3ao  u»«  wnp  ms  DIP  aiprr  ^a^  nio«  noa  pirn  ioa 
ins  ir«  bai  NX^  N^I  losy  n«  -UD  Kim  if»p  1x303 
byai  D»can  amK  PIMP  ''n*  ^KO  pn  maa^  DIN  DIP 
npy»  Kin  cap  '"KM  HK  inrn  pi  DIM  an  toy  noyi  vaab  N' 

ir  DIN  DIP  DUD!?  in^»  K^I  INX*  N^P  m»a  saa  ^a  nN  inrni  ja 
K^I  vAy  N^P  in11!  *aao  'N  n^m  Tn  DK3  mix  inrm  D 
*33  b  oy  1^1  i^a  b  IPX  b  npi  in^a  HN  iiaoi  icxyo  ^ 
^K  un6  wai  imn  HN  '"KK  D^y  o^yn  DK3  \oy  n:nni  • 
oy  n^an  ima  ianiK  qi-w^i  n*an  nx  n^'n^  oian 

nsaoi  lain  NSP  -ax  nisnai  *Dnx  DIP  c^  «bi  wb  IPK 
ny  ny^  1^1  ipn  n3-»  DV  DN  mpyi>  nn  yn>  s^i  ^  yin  ^"33 
onaan  »aai>  lain  ymm-  »a  nS-n  naao^  icxy  nx  D»aa»  in^a  -an 
my  DHin»  Jinh  D*^  IPN  D^nxiii  Du:a  ^y^a  <P:N  cam 
D^Na  VHP  i"3Ny  Dn*n33  isya  DHIN  hrah  pipyb  'umxi 
nx  n^ni  aan  nnn  n^ya  »niK  Tnoni?  inyna  D'aon  a"y  •  ijra  I:HIN 
Kin  jpr  HMP  PIN  npy  pi  'oy  poyn^  NIHP  ii>n  apy  i"nn  vax  ^a 
DIPD  ^N  Kiai  n»an  ^30  onx  DIP  DIBS*  N^P  na  ^a^  POP  icxya 
»oy  ncy  pi  onnwa  nsaon  PKH  p^T  N^P  ^yv  *biK  DP 

/'ID^  ""o1  ••pp  loa  mo 

^r  y*pr  *3NP  INI  H^N  warn  ipn  ^N   o^pi>o  isa   DIM  \TI 
P  IDP  IIMI    inpK   cy    n-aa  iar:y   ncyp  nnN  mn11   oy  ^n 
naaon  PN  lyiap  Dipo  D^IHN  onaai>  in1-  labnp  ^"i  P^NS 
p  DN21  ihaao   on^p  HN   pu$>   ipn   iia   TDI   nn?oy  ;nh 
anyb    ^'r   ^a'pr   T3N    main    TNI    'DPK13   or:n    ihaaa   my 
n»m  omnn  ba  D^ppao  VHP  inoni?  naao  nM  »a  MI  oiy  ^y  »n»n» 
.TJP  inia",n  a"y  TUN  INT  K!>P  nha  ^an  ^y  naao 
|\s  »a  KII  u»aya  'n  ntn  TK  '  1^330  onaba  ipn 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  —  MARX   281 


••o  nTi  xta  nyian  nnnaa  xta  invn  aiom  n»^  nxian  ^  r6sn 
a-in  rp^xn  nx  joints  'n  nona  ova  DV  HO  noyom  K^N  poyrw 
]yf?  np^  'TV  "axi?  mini  «3B>  "['"N  nx  n^x  nx]  paopo 
3*00  nya  pi^n  oa'i  naxa  nw  pi^x  oyo  np»i  mop  mypa 

new  n^an  ^np^  iy  nirnni  nn^noa  T^n  pi^n  oy  nnypa 
pny  <>n^n^  »*ay  PJ«  »JNI  ^  ita^ini  nt^y  pi  naon  hy  n^rb  ITDI 
i>aa  pi  '•osy  ns  niN3"ib  oannn!>  '•nniain  *hni  o^ty  a"1  p 
nns^  IIOD  mix  iDBn  D^D  TIT  '•b  D^N^ao  vn  npt^om 


yaoa  px^  nwwii  nuvrn  WNI  Dysn  inixai  r        pa  nva  pa 

na  ^  jn^i  vom  jyob  'n  n^y  pi  D 
n»n  nyian  Dipo  n«  nnyian  nmpn  HDP^  nnji  nva  av  no 
di>n  \TI  'nsi^m  *bw  o^an  ^  oyna  mxo  n»m  t^xa  nyia 
no  nxn  nr  bx  nr  now  ynona  wnnt?  D^au>n  n-un  pa  mn  hp 
nann  n^non  oni  naaoa  ^niia  ono  'N  nya  not?  onv^n  i{ry 
i^x  DmnTio  irnopa  np":i  i^  n»a3i  Nia3  *wrb  D^JDNJ  nnay 
jnxi  '•oxy  nx  BO^W  w«  n^i  oannn  S*NN  n^a  »aa  -OT^  isa 
jaisa  18  [^«na  yawi]  ^aa  nsi^  a^ao  i 
3  N^  B»N  .TH  posi  prn  T*^h  ni 
DSI  nvaon  ija^  021  D^ian  ^w  o^nan  !?a  '•aai?  inan  im 
pao  iQ33  noi'D  IJXN  ""n^n^  naon  n^aro  >^  nios  Nian  nr  PND 
fnun  inai  sn"^y  pi  ''n^a^  '•nansj  pjioaa  nnyi  nixona  *n^ 
••niayi  naiy  •'aval  ^sa  pi  a^n  '•n^n  '121  D^IK  psh  na 
noa  n~i2^j  cnvyi  no-^aa  ns^ai  Q^iano  nann  ^JTIN 
r  i^a  Na  m:n^  '•asb  nra^  isa 
rvrw  no  ib  mn  x^  Dycai  D^y^  D^n  UNI  DW  DON  cn^ 
D^ID  T'oya'  i"^"1  i?nan  TIN^  nix  »"NN  oannn  nnri 
noia  Nin^  i^xn  ^y  n^yx^  <fy  nwi  pa  1:6  n*ntj>  nn*an 
mvi  xna  ^x^  D^a^i  onaiyn  TUN  IXTK>  na  naan  ^ 
nna  Dn^y  pnrxc>  onyani  naan  ^a  ^  DH^n^  binMi  pint^  "^n 
-ah  Tipna'  iin'i^y  pi  mosri  pin^  hpa  xnph  piy^i  nn^aa  iin^ 
n^oya  noa  "n^y  pi  pann  opa'aa'  Dipn  X\T  'n  nvy  n\n  nr  no  run 


18  Added  between  the  lines. 


282  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 


":m  rvn  xhv  *}xr  ixn:r  ^  mnn  on^ab  nixnnb  mh 
'anno  mx'-a  nnx  n^  noa  nnaai  nsiv  by  Tana  cna^ 
V3ai  trr^n  3xac  vnb  by  w  ^sh  naiy  'x  »u  'rvxn  nrix  Dyau*  ny 
m-s'y  na3£3  rvbnt?  MX  cwn  *jb  nx  birrni  pin»  vi?y  we>y  D"nyr3 
^n  nns  ^  an^n  wm  »a«  nivoa  xnai  pn'.j?  *ovy  nx  ms-in^  nr 
TnNcwi  mnan  "nnyn  n^nnni  inxwo  -pain  n^on  ns;r:n 
vim  ni^aai  DM;nb  nnaen  jniy  jnj  VJ^ma  'ni  "•nino^ 
nn^  nnm  baix  onpca  '•ni^nNi  »nn  oy  ^na^ni  <*KS  n^a^ 
nbnna  K'cnn  n^c^a  \TI  naic'Nnao  inv  oh«  snai  pen  'rv:ryj  ^si  ab 


ny  na:nn  an^a  m:nca  ^ax  asna  Tya  nion  no  ID  n^n  cnnn 
n  o  '-ax  nann  mci  i^n  w^  na^ai  nro  nr  marta 


xh  na:o  b^  nyia  nb  HM  n^s'  n^s^  na  nnM  ^nn  nxb  '•ninx  oai 
V3ab  xa  x^1  '•"xx  D:I  nxb  TJ-'n  ••a  rhino  rprvy  PJX  n^ao  na  ba  n-n 

nbns  na'jo  HM  pc»n  e'lna  bax  nsuon  nopt?  iboa 
x  nx^j  xh  'narn  ba  ino  cnaa  noaai  'nin^  n?aa 
onix  niapb  iyT  xh  o^ncn  oy  poyn*  »D  s»o3  n»n  xh  n-j'x  nrx 
i  nixnx  nmxa  hi3  ahrm  B*B>  *33xa  n^p  nn»n  ]§nxn^  ?iiin3  n^n 
D"ab  ixa  n^yai  o-ncn  ibaxi  o^axr  ixai  a^tra  x^x  onix  ina 
nicco  oy  D^nn  nnva  vm  onoc's  by  Dm"  'n  abe>n  JD  nmx 
nxra  no  b"r  bix^  n^a  nr  xbx  7x  DW  b"n  HD  xb  i^naa  bax  '»pnsn 
n\n  IT  oai  b"ja  nt^n  1^13^  nnx  o^jnn  ^^  ica 
nxi3  vbo^a  enna  x"»nn  b^  spiral  ubt 
^yau  nan  xin^  ncx  ^  D^O^  enn  ny  nojn  nx»  ny  maa  nnra  nva 
•nann  bax  nxra  npn  einin3  D'-oyab  nxn:^  pyt:^  uycip 
nr^nbo  n^nnn3  mj^n  nnp  n\n  pi  c^-jy  nannb  mix  inns  c 
nann  nnnn  '"xx  fininn  nrai  n^nn  ny  nop^  xh  nhya  n 
mncxi  ""csyo  *nnniyn3  ••jxi  n3nn  nmno  nu'y  i-rry  ba3  n 
"abi  <aux  nya  -a  nnm  ni»bb  'HI.T  ^  n^np  nrxb  ^»b  wn 
Doya  nca  m-x^i  D1"1?  xbi  'amuan  ••"xxi  ucy  men 
unnnni  mm  pny:b  icy  mix  T^nb  naoina  rrn  --'xxi  n^nnix  ixa 
n»n  xbtr  ^aniv  ba  Dnnabo  ^  ivy  vbv  rrn  yaoam  D»oya  nca  nc(y  p 
\TI  D-a^p  o^aa  nbaiDD  nn\n  *ax  nrx  nbon  py3  ••by  rra-jMa-*  »o  rx 
nmy  •'b  nam  »n«m  rh'hn  ba  ny  m^n  '3x  ^"xxrr  yca^  nmp  nnx  n 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  —  MARX      283 

^  TPtyy  pi  THN  pnnn  in  TDD  ^  »nw  pbya  D'xnpijn 
ovn  •vxnK'  mipi  '"xx  n  t^T1  xbt?  mm  nirmna 

xaai  DB>  Ti3£*>  »3Ni  p*B»l$B>n  >"x& 
ns?  at?ro  trvnni  nvn  -nxn  TXH  xbi  i^in  nvi  pny  |**D» 

s*  H>iN  <ini»N  '3Ki  vbana  nmi  DK 
nann  D^K  DB'  vm  mm  nio^  ••na  n^y 
K!?  PJN  -^  2iD  pvnn  ^>y  o^ia  imsn  nnv  nwpb  1x2^  nnmo 
f?n3  mx  S.T  \s-ni2  »a  icy  *3a»/ini>  ^"N  H2N  »3si  i^m  jt:i? 
nny  ^N^  ""ab  ^a^ini?  n^ax  'x  nosi  ''as  2^n  TN 

ba  ''Dvyo  ^  Turin  noa  "ncsn  t^  ••nmn  TN  nso  ny  ^n: 
oyan  rs*  naa  a"2  nipn  HM  a'ayx  my  »sa*hm  nxinn  TN 
nra  nnm  5?a3  a^n  o  iipa  nn  ••n^n  N^  nyroa  typ 
pnv  m"py^  BT»  non  nann  n\ni  <iaN^  ^ 
i^i  '121  03113  ny  o^cn  "jin^  DN^an  }CB>ne>  19>^-n?:n 
HM  n^N  no^on  n^aa  ^n^ni  pyatnwrb  ny  ^yam  pprj  px  nxn 
yna  ••cy  m»i£  ^nnm  y;!D  apy*  n"nn  ict^  xnpj  nt|ni 
nnpb  p^y  Tiyn11  K^  ^nm  max  <pnai 
uyon  DJI  ata^n  nnp$>  »ant3i»  M^ 


DIN  iTn  N^I  pap  n»n  ^":n  nc^cn^  *ab  nxo  ny  hna 


P"i  ^ncb  N^I  niiycn  fpnb  yn11  s^  ^as  "wa  uyva  wan  nyn 
mas*  spnai  m3«n  oyni  anacn  *?w  nmnan 

»no^a  m3«n  nana  npim  n^po  cyan 

noan  "•snia  n\n  nn  '•nmn^  ny  pint?  nana  -^y  :yb  n^oya 


^  in^aa  TS*  *naw  won  *sn  ny  N"c 
^  pT  niaai  naa        mn  hnun  naio  nona  ^  jn: 

D3i  PJID^I  '•iy  iTn  sin  ^a  ntao  HDD  m-n  ••none  nna^  n 
iaia  ^  onj^  nnaa  ^  DJ  orb  i^asn  »bi  covy^  D"aiD  onan 


DNI  »niN  li'Ntj'i  •'ax  nima  wain  n^npn  ^a  ^ai  ^xiai  anp  n 
vjy  TS*  wm  IND  ''nnna  "]X  n^yin  irx  v^>  nM  T^ax  T'ao  ""n^ 
nncx  DX  py  n^n^  *narm  'n  nai  by  nini  NTI  nxs  ny  nn 


a"a  N 


284  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

cyan  TNI  rvaa  rx  mn  d?  notani  non  wa  ""KXO  nay  ny 
ii>  mm  p^ocnxna  for  irs*  noyi  ^"?  prop  Vnn  •'"XK  ^  ID*:  j?w 
«:iyo  yri  "man  Dy  Tobn  mn  sin  DJ  i*jr  Tuyo  "Toa  IOP  'x  p 
Yoa  nx  '•"'NX  foxn  a"ayx  mix  trmo  Trn  'Jxi  *3«b  bn  na'Di 
Den  mn^io  pK  Btanryo  P"P^  yN»3ni  p^cB'ixno  ^nph  i"^  mayo 
^oya  nno  »mn  n'33  ^n^si  nisvj:  <nnn  "J^  »3x  n^aa  Iinn3%:(»  ^3 
ion  nyi  i?y3  310  nobo  Dan  TiJ-nn  ns  nx  ^SID^  n'nns  rfei 
tnno  ••ms  i^a^i  ten:  n3%^3  p:o^  »nDJ3:i  snnso  ^TIO  Yinm 
na^n  TIJD^  mypaa  »JDD  "inv  yn»  on  "3  ^»a  '33  "3  w»pi  D^N:  0^33 
oysn  ,TH  nn  nn  D^iyo  TiyT  «b  ^x  »3  »3oo  mn  »ao  masin  'n»a  ny 
n^mna  IM  nnn  oni  n3mon  nra  nio^  1|n^nnn%j'  'ND 
T  i>yi  DB>  3n3on  HM  "]3  mano  H33  DM^ai  n»ynp  cnnjai 
nn  »3  «ro  ^nvp  DyDDtr  ny  o^annai  D^vaa  iso  ny 
Dr6  n«3p  ona  nn  one  niaa  TIT  nnv  am3i  vay  INT.?  'ai*  *m«  ina^* 
u>  n^n  'N  ^yba  *33  nn^o  vn  nosai  sasai  ^a  wp  Drrmax  «]si 
yno  nvhi?  yn  Nin  pny  -"NTiia  P^NS  ^nya  p  pns* 
i"^s  nn  ~ia  jca^b  p  jn^in*  icen  hn3  y:iiro  XN  rrn  0:1  ia 
n-13  ''nx  ma  myth  sin  D3i  mm  ^ya  nny  nvn^  nar 
'N  nann  niy:o  ^  vn  ^as  D^aiD  D'tryoi  niina  pioy^  »csy 
nam  trxn  *3K3i  npnp  ny  bn  fiao  --a  ma  pne'  ioa  '»t6in  *b 
bba  vysy  ya^  ni'n  xh  13^  ej^no  n\n  anm  }'nx  inn  ^ 
M3an  B^I  jni:  n^n  nb  Kim  wan  t^n  npx  TN  inv  n\n  '•h 


n-ni  Npipo  nr^  'n  nsn  icen  XN  n^on  na^rD^  mp^  n^npni 
nabn  i3mx  no^  sini  nncn  ^aa  rv^no  nj^ai  nyn  n^aewi  nn^on 
levy  ya1-  Kim  1010  ^anni  'n  nsn11  i^  nnob  K^ni  nisoin  t^n-a  n:i 
nnaon  nip^ym  ip^n  n^si  ib  n^K  inia  J>ONO  ba  ^  nio^  nann 
"nno^  no  n^T  ns^ni  rso  "^  vn^  tno^on  bo  ^  Kin  n\n  pc\xnn 
t?n  Dy  nio^  3nj  N^  K'.n  DJ  "a  nio^ra  nann  rrn  K^  pny  IK  ^osyo 
axaa  ^in  »n«n  S2K1  hnj  pap  mm  ^in  n^oys:^  mn  Kin  DJI  wan 
in%j-K  ny  p^'Kin  no^on  nrn  ao"nn  r\w  ppa  a'nKi  ejninn  b  &'x-in 
uyoi  Dn»ni3l6l  Dsn"o^ni'  D^aano  vm  D-aa  ^aitt'n  i\ni  ^o^a 
n  a"ayK  niaoin  ^a  nyio  TTDO  D'JDP  HDDOI  p^in  naooa 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  —  MARX      285 


iD^  PB*nJi»k  p-nyo  ni^npo  onim  nann  ixa  cyan 
"•mm  nyan  inixai  wn  n^y  nx  ma^  '^QKNPn  xa&?  n&r&&n  na^ 
naipsnao  nnv  i>ru  nyxa  spinn  b  DB> 
ny  D»aa  »yni  pny  ^iro  »n«m  ^nan  '•nx  '*B 
niano  ^  nunan  "nyn^  N^I  D*aB>  V'D  J3  TN  *n«m 

oa»n3  noanan  »nK»o  3"DyN  mhna 

vn  i>3K  D^JDP 

Iinx3''  t6i  D^iyo  nr  "•n^oa  «b  »aw  ny 
Torn  spin  DDH  yab  ninn  mpo  'n  mpn  a"nx  rayo  pr 
oa^na  a"a  *oy  no^  3*WB^p»3O  pn  pia  'n  fnn  »3TiD 
pasn  '"y^  i*nna  J3  »a»o  nyan  DB>  rpm  'N  n^y  ta  p  n»oi>n  i^  rrrn 
np  nvn  »aoo  nnv  p"ix  im  3*03  yn11  D^B>  mtw  p  nyam  I^ND 
'n  nry  HM  nhyn  56an  IDN^  V3«b  TPP  p  paiam 
inni  non  ^JK  IDKI  vnxi  ni^  i»y  nirn^  pn  ^  7ns  n\n  N^I 
oyoa  m^33  »nioyi  nhx  Nn3  <ini'^ya  nan  nnni  nc^  Dip»  3irni>  pn 
ba  »n^ann  N^  U'3B>wa  nyna  trat?  'a  jnix  »a*y3  non  n»m  D»3B>  *n^ 
rrm  ^y  n^asyo  DW  n^n  N^  '•niaiys  i?3N  n^a^  '3  jmxa  awyn  '•o'1  'D11 
ptrn  »T3*T  Ten  ^  Dnaoo  vns?  o^yi  onnn  »b 
DH^  nnin3  noa  nn11  nyn  my  m~n  o.Tama 
no  hv  DH3T  I»uiiaj3i»a3  o^yinyn  ^yoi  [53.13  JDT 
N^  »3  DIN  ta  n^an  nrt?  »n3Brw  ny  10^  ^oa  nr  ciama 
ovn  an  DIN  ^  lab  m«n  nn«  ejiTi^  pn  *hh\  ov  jorn  nr  ^ 
nvpi  ^D^nin^  nja  ^aii?  oniya  ^y»  ^iy  oninan  n^an  oy  WM 
nnv  pns  imi  ha^at  jry  on!?  HM  oai  w&  a'ao  nnv  on^  vn  one 
ni>BN3  niya  Vtt^n  n.T'amai  <I"NK  nyn*3  nn»y  »nnsn  nr  ^ai  »aoo 
nnyjn  ^a-ya  jn  NIVO^  nb^a  px  im  «m  rw  '•na^n  ynx  N^I  '•JN  on 
nnan  DB>  n\n  »n^aKe>  rvaa  na  noxai  *vnwa3  WOTK  nn^xn  nn 
»a*3Di  nni?  $>&•  niaanoi  nwnpn  [5^  naN^»n  »piy  nnya  nyn 
mi  pn^i  oyai  oa  onnax  IOB'  n*n  orrby  »wn  o»>6n  ty«ni 
nyai  •'arx  npn  onD  J*DK>I  nrni  nro  ma  pnoi  nua  >^  nxna 
n-  ^N  ^  n^x  nan  nyi  rx»  n^iyo  "inv  M 
.N"y  r"11  }Dp  nyin  'y  20 

VOL.  VIII.  U 


286  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 


nny  nyai  my:  nya  nain  oya  T^D  »mi  <xnia  n;rx  IN  *ax  -6  jnu 
noano  nnyi  any  *JK  'irmya  nnjn  obiyn  yay  baa  B>iiab  bav  »n«n 
mn  ohjjn  wy  i>a»  eniab  pvii  ns>«  »INB»J  xh  o^a  ^awm  nyni 
D'pnx  w  "6ix  D'ja  nbinh  n-j'x  np"b  aio  nnv  »^w  ja  JHN  «b  ^ax 
nr  ^y  myo  nav«  'noi  nryb  ^  rrnn^  b*n  ntw  n»nn  n^xm  D^an 
ppxt^a  {vona  xn^  piosa  ix  Di!?na  ix  JD'-D  nrx  ••"y  yjnre' 


pioa  pi3^n     x^x  ix 
pi  B^ND  (?)DIIOT  oax  /1|n<'  ^ax  ny*TD  x^tr  x  .  .  D  ,  bab  '•na^n  a"nx 


Den  'iainr  HT-X      jnj  xnx-isa  rx  n^n    "r  apy  Ynn  *ypr  "ax 
»nbnnn  nen  xpxnp  p'pa  »n«m  ho^ai  nian  nnsa  <n«m  D^B*  ':  i^ 

nixam  ip»  ^y  bapb 


nmna  poiy  nvnb  hnt^ni>  »nma  naao  ^  »hn  nnx  niyaa  'x 

onxo  nnv 
j*»  p  w»nB»a   'a 
i>a 
»TD  nuynn!>  u«m  ^  ^a  nairn  hn  nvn^  ^nma  'i  p 

a"nx  5»a«  niajmni"  nnioc'  f 
.iixon  mwo  nao  paa  niyni?  nn::eB>  no  vrxi  xh 

nvn  JD  i?uai>  N^B»  »nma  TOB*  x"i 
nrx  ix  D^nnix  nua  DIB»  a"xx  nax^oa  ix  na^na  ix  xi>x  nr.vn 


(sic!}    '\ 


my    'T 

xa  nx^JMi^  ^nx^a  mip  iaiip»  mv  o^a  ^niayt'a  iiy  'n 
••n^ap  n"jn  n:e>  p'D  r"a  n^bn  mip  p'try  m  ffm  unix 
inn  ^vui  n"aoin  poxn^  ^"r  woan  nan  ^a  n^^  ai?a 

.  D^B*  a^a  DB»n  nx  mayh  pan  '•Jipn  baa  nivt:a  pnpno  nvnbi 
DX  nB'x  np^  nain  xTnB»nb  '•nnj  xr^a  p"pa  ''hn  ^n^na'a  'u 
nain  ^nin^x  bax  Ti^y  jai  raB*n  NSHB* 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX    287 

TRANSLATION. 

I  can  trace  my  family  tree  for  only  four  generations. 
I  learned  from  my  grandfather  Jacob  that  his  father 
Abraham  ha-Levi  had  come  to  Bohemia  from  Poland  as  a 
young  man  possessed  of  considerable  scholarly  attainments. 
He  married  in  Kolin,  Bohemia,  and  died  soon  after  the  birth 
of  his  son  Jacob,  my  grandfather.  As  the  latter  was  left 
an  orphan  in  childhood,  he  did  not  know  from  which  city 
his  father  had  come  and  to  what  family  he  belonged. 
My  grandfather  married  Lieble,  the  daughter  of  Kalman 
of  Bisenz,  who  was  the  son-in-law  of  R.  Eliezer  Perels,  the 
author  of  the  book  Damesek  Eliezer,  a  commentary  on  the 
Sefer  ha-Kanah,  as  well  as  other  works.  His  son  was 
Moses  Kuskes.  This  whole  family  lived  in  Prague.  My 
grandfather  had  many  sons,  but  they  all  died  early,  and 
only  my  father,  Abraham  ha-Levi,  and  two  daughters, 
Rebekkah  and  Pessel,  were  spared.  My  father  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  the  Torah  in  his  youth,  being  an 
only  son,  and  he  showed  acumen  and  skill  in  talmudic 
debates  which  brought  him  recognition  from  prominent 
men  and  scholars.  They  married  him  to  a  girl  of  a  very 
prominent  family,  Gnendel,  the  daughter  of  R.  Jehezkel  of 
Chelm,  in  Little  Poland.  The  latter,  my  grandfather,  died  in 
Poland  before  the  times  of  the  terrible  persecutions  under 
Chmielnicki,  and  my  grandmother,  Nuhah,  remained  a 
widow  with  three  sons  and  two  little  daughters.  I  was 
told  that  she  was  a  good,  energetic,  and  clever  woman, 
and  supported  her  family  comfortably  up  to  the  time 
of  the  great  uprising  throughout  Poland,  when  she  fled 
with  them  to  Nikolsburg,  Moravia,  to  her  brother,  the 
famous  R.  Menahem  Mendel  Krochmal.  the  author  of  the 

U  2 


288  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

responsa  'Semah  Saddik',  who  was  then   Rabbi   of  that 
community  and  of  the  whole  of  Moravia.    In  his  house  my 
mother  was  brought  up.    When  he  died  his  son,  R.  Judah 
Loeb,  succeeded  him,  and  he  married  my  mother  to  my 
father,  and  gave  her  a  large  dowry  as  if  she  had  been  his 
own  daughter.     He  arranged  the  wedding  splendidly,  and 
my  father  then  brought  her  to  his  house.     At  the  time 
he  lived  in  Meseritsch,  Moravia.     My  grandfather,  Jacob 
ha-Levi,  was  then  rich  and  prosperous.    My  grandmother, 
his  wife,  was  very  pious  and  charitable,  and  went  every 
morning  and  evening  to  the  synagogue ;  and  so  was  my 
mother  Gnendel  even  in  a  higher  degree ;  she  was,  more- 
over, a  very  intelligent  woman.     My  father  continued  to 
study  the  Torah.     Three  or  four  years  after  the  wedding, 
in  the  winter,  the  Mohammedans  and  Tartars  swept  over 
Moravia  to  destroy  it,  and  all  fled  in  confusion  and  terror 
to  Bohemia.     My  grandfather,  who  was  a  rich  man,  lost 
nearly  all  his  property,  so  that  but  very  little   of  their 
fortune  remained  in  their  hands.     My  grandfather,  his  wife, 
two  daughters,  and  my  father  and  mother  with  the  rest 
of  the  family  remained  in  Bohemia.     They  finally  came 
to   Lichtenstadt,    where    my    father    secured    a    post    as 
an    elementary    Hebrew    teacher.      He    remained    there 
for  a  few  years,  then  he  returned   and    found  his  house 
entirely  empty.     My  mother  then  showed  her  ability  in 
supporting  the  family  by  her  own  efforts,  and  started  to 
manufacture    brandy   out   of  oats    in   a   copper    alembic, 
as  was  the  custom  in  those  parts.     This  was  hard  labour, 
but  she  succeeded.     In  the  meantime  my  father  pursued 
his  studies.     One  day  a  holy  man,  R.  Loeb,  the  Rabbi  of 
Trebitsch,  whose  authority  extended  over  Meseritsch,  where 
my  father  lived,  came  to  our  town  and  stayed  in  our  house. 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX   289 

When  he  saw  the  troubles  of  my  mother,  his  cousin,  he 
had  pity  on  her,  nnd  gave  my  father  some  gold  and  silver 
merchandise,  such  as  rings,  to  get  him  used  to  trade  in 
an  honest  and  intelligent  way.  My  father  was  successful 
and  did  a  good  business.  Incidentally  this  brought  him 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Count  who  owned  the  city.  The 
latter  liked  him,  and  turned  over  to  him  the  '  Branntwein- 
haus'  (distillery)  in  which  they  were  working  with  seven 
great  kettles,  and  he  gave  him  servants  to  do  the  work  and 
grain  to  prepare  brandy.  For  this  my  father  paid  him 
at  the  end  of  the  year  a  specified  amount,  in  addition  to 
paying  a  certain  percentage  of  the  income  in  taxes,  as  was 
customary.  From  that  time  he  became  prominent.  My 
mother  bore  him  first  a  daughter  who  died,  then  three 
sons,  my  rich  and  prominent  brother  Kalman,  my  poor 
self,  and  a  son  Moses,  who  died  during  the  year  after  his 
mother's  death. 

When  my  mother  was  at  last  able  to  rest  from  her  hard 
work,  she  fell  sick  in  consequence  of  the  heat  and  the 
fumes  of  the  brandy,  and  she  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four 
years.  There  was  no  one  in  our  town  or  outside  of  it  who 
was  like  her  in  wisdom,  piety,  and  charity.  She  died  on 
a  Sabbath,  the  34th  of  lyar  5432  (May  21,  1672).  I  was 
then  four  years  old,  and  my  older  brother  seven.  In  the 
course  of  the  next  year  my  father  married  again  a  great 
lady,  Freidel,  the  daughter  of  R.  Meir,  the  Shohet  from 
Vienna.  At  the  same  time  he  gave  his  sister  Pessel  to  his 
brother-in-law  Samuel  for  a  wife,  so  that  they  made  an 
exchange.  The  wife  of  my  father  was  herself  still  a  young 
child  who  did  not  know  how  to  bring  us  up  in  cleanliness 
as  is  necessary  with  little  boys,  nor  could  she  properly 
care  for  us  when  we  were  sick.  We  have  to  thank  God 


2QO  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

and  the  help  of  our  grandmother  Lieble,  and  her  good 
daughters,  that  we  grew  up  at  all.  Even  so  little  Moses, 
who  was  only  one  year  old,  died. 

After  my  mother's  death  my  father  began  to  strive  for 
prominence  and  power,  for  as  long  as  my  mother  lived  she 
kept  him  back  and  reproved  him  as  a  mother  does  with 
her  son.  His  father  also,  may  God  forgive  him,  was  all 
his  life  hot-tempered  and  quarrelsome,  and  from  him  my 
father,  if  I  may  be  forgiven  for  saying  so,  had  partly  in- 
herited the  same  temperament,  for  he  was  still  young  and 
had  not  gone  as  an  exile  to  foreign  countries  as  I  did.  But 
he  found  his  match,  who  paid  him  back  in  his  own  coin. 
For  there  arose  against  him  wicked  men  with  whom  my 
father  had  quarreled  for  years,  and  who  had  fallen  under 
his  power  through  his  influence  with  the  Count.  Now  the 
Count  sold  his  property  after  three  years  and  went  to  war 
against  the  enemies  in  foreign  lands.  He  left  my  father 
in  the  hands  of  another  Count  who  had  bought  the  town  ; 
but  the  latter  was  not  as  favourable  to  my  father  as  the 
former.  My  father  thought  it  was  the  other  way,  and  he 
relied  on  a  broken  reed  to  combat  his  enemies.  These, 
however,  were  numerous  and  more  cunning  and  deliberate, 
for  my  father  at  that  time  was  hasty  in  all  his  actions,  and 
sometimes  transacted  his  business  without  taking  proper 
counsel  and  consideration,  and  he  planned  great  under- 
takings to  increase  his  wealth  and  honour,  but  it  turned 
out  the  other  way.  His  enemies  ruined  his  reputation 
with  the  Count.  The  latter  made  charges  against  him  in 
connexion  with  the  '  Branntvveinhaus'  and  other  business 
matters,  and  put  him  into  prison  for  two  months.  Since 
the  first  Count  was  far  away,  nothing  could  be  done  to 
save  my  father,  and  he  had  to  give  up  half  his  wealth  in 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX      291 

order  to  be  released.  On  this  occasion  his  enemies  wreaked 
their  revenge  on  him,  saying,  '  when  the  ox  has  fallen, 
sharpen  the  knife'  (Shabbat  32);  and  they  urged  the  Count 
to  expel  my  father,  together  with  his  old  father  Jacob, 
from  his  property.  The  Count  did  so.  He  expelled  my 
father  in  Tammuz  5435  (1675),  while  my  grandfather  fled 
in  secret,  for  he  owed  money  to  many  gentiles  and  could 
not  pay  them.  I  was  at  that  time  seven  years  old.  My 
father  found  a  temporary  shelter  in  the  town  of  Humpoletz, 
a  town  of  wool-weavers,  and  he  traded  there  for  a  year, 
while  I  was  cut  off  from  study  and  good  deeds  and  left 
to  myself.  He  then  went  to  a  village,  Wostrow(P),  for 
the  Count  had  in  the  meantime  returned  from  the  military 
expedition  and  bought  this  village,  and  my  father  followed 
him  there.  As  for  myself,  I  was  constantly  going  back 
in  my  studies  as  well  as  in  manners  and  conduct.  After 
a  while  my  father  decided  to  send  me  to  Prague,  which 
was  a  day's  journey.  My  older  brother  was  also  there ; 
it  was  winter  then,  and  I  was  nine  years  old.  There,  too, 
I  did  nothing,  for  my  father  did  not  know  how  to  arrange 
matters  properly,  and  in  his  endeavour  to  save  money  he 
placed  me  for  a  small  sum  in  charge  of  a  teacher,  who 
took  little  care  of  me,  while  I  needed  great  attention  if 
I  were  to  be  taught  with  any  success.  At  that  time  my 
power  of  comprehension  and  my  memory  were  weak  as 
a  result  of  illness.  I  was  full  of  ulcers,  and  the  meals  I  ate 
were  very  unwholesome  for  me,  for  it  is  the  custom  in 
Prague  to  eat  at  the  midday  meal  peas  and  millet  with  a 
little  butter,  which  proved  very  injurious  to  me.  But  nobody 
looked  out  for  me  to  give  me  medical  treatment.  Although 
my  father  came  several  times  to  Prague  he  did  not  notice 
this.  I  gratefully  remember  R.  Loeb  Fleckeles,  who  gave 


2Q2  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

me  meals  in  his  house  and  kept  me  for  about  six  months 
for  a  small  sum,  my  father  paying  him  about  six  gulden 
a  month.  He  wished  me  to  be  a  companion  for  his  son 
Simon  who  was  then  five  years  old,  and  I  helped  him 
by  taking  him  to  school  and  going  over  his  lessons  with 
him.  At  that  time  I  was  very  humble  and  ready  to  be 
a  slave  to  everybody,  and  to  do  anything  I  was  ordered. 
If  my  father  only  had  left  me  in  this  house,  I  would  have 
become  used  to  good  manners  and  learned  a  little  more 
than  in  the  village  of  Wostrow  among  the  country  people. 
My  father,  however,  wished  to  save  money  and  took  me 
home  ;  my  older  brother  was  there  at  the  time  also.  He 
thought  that  he  himself  would  teach  us,  and  my  brother, 
who  was  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old,  actually  learned  from 
him  haggadic  literature,  such  as  Rashi  and  Midrashim,  as 
well  as  the  laws  of  Shehitah  ;  but  I  needed  a  special  teacher. 
My  father  started  to  teach  me  Gemara  Sotah  once  or  twice, 
though  I  had  never  before  studied  Talmud  or  even  Mishnah. 
Thus  a  long  time  passed  by  without  my  learning  anything, 
until  I  became  a  thorn  in  my  own  eyes  and  even  more 
so  in  the  eyes  of  my  father,  because  I  was  a  boor  brought 
up  in  dirt  without  any  cleanliness,  for  the  lack  of  a  mother  ; 
and  I  remember  that  at  the  age  of  eleven  I  ran  around 
barefooted  and  without  trousers,  and  no  one  cared.  My 
father  then  had  many  little  children,  for  his  wife  bore  him 
almost  every  year  a  son  or  a  daughter.  I  am  sure  that 
if  anybody  had  announced  my  death  to  him  at  that  time 
he  would  have  thought  this  good  news,  for  he  considered 
me  ignorant  and  good  for  nothing,  so  that  my  existence 
was  a  burden  to  him.  My  brother  was  a  strong  boy  who 
did  hard  work  in  the  slaughter-house  and  made  himself 
otherwise  useful,  while  I  was  oppressed  by  all  the  members 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX      293 

of  the  house ;  everybody  ordered  me  around ;  this  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  5438-9  (1678-9).  In  5440  (1680) 
a  plague  broke  out  in  Bohemia,  and  especially  in  Prague. 
From  that  city  the  Rabbi,  R.  Jacob  Backofen  (Reischer), 
the  author  of  Minhat  Jakob,  came  with  his  wife  Jettel  and 
her  sister  Freidel,  the  daughters  of  the  Rabbi,  R.  Wolf  ben 
Rabbi  Simon  Spira  ;  and  they  stayed  with  us  in  our  house 
in  the  village.  I  still  remember  the  great  modesty  of  that 
scholar  who  was  willing  to  take  the  trouble  to  teach  me 
like  a  school  teacher.  But  his  wife,  who  domineered  over 
him,  did  not  permit  him  to  carry  out  his  good  intention. 
In  the  course  of  Tammuz  I  fell  sick,  and  the  symptoms 
of  the  plague  became  apparent.  For  three  days  and  nights 
I  had  high  fever,  and  was  near  death.  Then  a  swelling 
broke  out  behind  my  ear  on  the  neck  which  burned  like 
fire,  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  became  frightened. 
The  Rabbi  and  his  wife  noticed  it,  and  fled  from  our  house 
to  the  house  of  his  uncle  in  Wotitz.  The  plague  was  then 
raging  all  around  our  village,  and  the  Count  established 
a  '  lazaretto ',  i.e.  a  small  wooden  house  of  two  rooms  in  the 
midst  of  a  big  forest  about  a  mile  away  from  his  castle. 
If  some  one  fell  sick  in  one  of  the  villages  he  was  driven  out 
of  his  house  with  all  his  belongings,  and  had  to  go  into  that 
forest.  The  Count  had  set  aside  an  open  space  some  yards 
wide  all  around  his  castle,  which  only  those  living  in  the 
castle  were  permitted  to  approach.  He  only  kept  very  few 
people  in  his  castle,  and  enclosed  himself  in  there,  and 
never  left  it  with  his  people.  He  admitted  no  outsider 
except  my  father,  who  was  clever,  and  with  whom  he  liked  to 
talk,  and  he  wanted  him  to  appear  before  him  and  stay 
with  him  most  of  the  day.  He  had  ordered  my  father 
to  act  in  the  same  way,  and  to  forbid  his  family  to  leave 


294  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

the  house  or  to  admit  strangers.  He  also  told  him  that 
if,  God  forbid,  a  member  of  his  own  family  should  fall 
sick,  he  should  not  conceal  it,  but  of  his  own  accord  should 
leave  the  house  and  go  with  everything  into  the  forest. 
He  warned  my  father  that  if  he  were  to  find  out  that  my 
father  had  concealed  such  a  thing  he  would  permit  the 
gentiles  to  burn  the  house  down  with  all  the  inmates  in  it. 
When  my  father  now  realized  that  he  had  the  plague 
in  his  house  he  was  very  much  upset,  and  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  To  carry  out  the  order  of  the  Count  and 
to  go  with  his  family  into  the  forest  would  involve  grave 
danger,  for  the  fact  would  become  known  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  villages,  who  are  mostly  wicked  men,  thieves,  and 
murderers,  lying  in  wait  for  the  blood  and  the  property  of 
Jews.  Even  in  the  cities  they  love  to  oppress  and  rob  them 
in  their  houses,  how  much  greater  then  was  the  danger 
of  their  coming  to  murder  us  in  the  forest.  He,  therefore, 
decided  to  hide  me  in  the  garret,  asking  his  father  Jacob 
ha-Levi  to  take  care  of  me,  which  he  did,  although  he  was 
an  old  man  himself.  He  tended  me  so  carefully  that  no 
other  member  of  the  household  needed  to  come  to  the  room 
in  which  I  stayed,  hoping  that  this  perhaps  might  prevent 
the  plague  from  attacking  others.  In  this  way  he  stayed 
with  me  about  six  days.  But  one  day  slanderers  came 
to  the  Count  and  reported  they  had  seen  my  grandfather 
with  another  Jew,  a  certain  Saul  Pollack,  who  lived  in  our 
house  with  his  wife,  go  together  to  other  villages  in  which 
the  plague  was  raging  to  trade  there.  At  once  the  Count 
decreed  the  expulsion  of  both  from  his  territory  at  the  risk 
of  jeopardizing  their  lives  if  they  should  be  seen  there  again. 
Then  my  grandfather  was  compelled  to  leave  me  alone 
on  my  sick-bed,  for  it  was  dangerous  to  hide,  as  they  would 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX     295 

have  searched  for  him  in  all  the  rooms,  and  if  I  had 
been  discovered  it  would  have  involved  danger  for  all. 
Therefore  both  had  to  leave  the  territory  under  the  eyes 
of  the  Count.  But  God  took  pity  on  my  suffering,  seeing 
that  there  was  no  one  to  attend  to  me,  and  sent  me  full 
recovery,  and  what  was  particularly  fortunate,  the  abscess 
did  not  open  again  when  there  was  no  one  to  take  care 
of  me,  but  it  went  down  daily  by  the  grace  of  God.  For 
there  happened  to  come  to  us  the  brother  of  my  father's 
wife,  R.  Samson  of  Kamnitz,  who  told  my  father  how  to 
prepare  a  plaster  from  the  white  of  an  egg  with  a  little 
alum,  about  the  size  of  a  nut.  Both  of  these  had  to  be 
stirred  quickly  and  carefully  in  a  little  kettle  until  it  turned 
solid.  He  followed  this  advice.  The  plaster  was  handed 
to  me  from  a  distance  and  I  put  it  on,  although  I  was  only 
a  boy  of  twelve  and  sick,  for  I  had  been  compelled  to 
devise  ways  of  how  to  take  proper  care  of  myself.  Similarly 
they  brought  my  meals  to  the  top  of  the  staircase,  and 
put  them  down  near  the  door  of  the  staircase,  which  they 
closed  at  once.  I  had  to  get  up  from  my  bed  to  take 
them.  I  lay  there  alone  day  and  night,  and  at  that  time 
I  saw  apparitions  and  dreamed  dreams.  That  I  remained 
alive  was  against  the  laws  of  nature.  God  in  his  mercy  gave 
me  strength  so  that  I  improved  from  day  to  day,  the  fever 
left  me,  and  only  the  place  of  the  swelling  was  burning 
like  fire,  and  my  whole  face  was  red.  One  day,  however, 
our  gentile  neighbours,  who  noticed  my  absence,  began 
to  say  to  one  another :  '  See  what  these  Jews  did  ;  one 
of  their  children  evidently  died  of  the  plague,  and  they 
have  concealed  it.'  As  trusty  servants  of  the  Count  we 
ought  to  go  and  tell  him,  and  take  our  revenge  on  the 
Jews.  When  this  rumour  reached  the  ears  of  our  family, 


296  THE   JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

my  father  cleverly  ordered  me  to  dress,  to  fold  a  linen 
cloth  around  my  neck,  and  put  it  on  in  such  a  way  that 
the  redness  could  not  be  seen.  He  urged  me  to  be 
courageous,  and  asked  me  to  go  through  the  garden,  over 
the  fields,  and  to  return  along  the  river,  passing  the  houses 
of  the  gentiles  and  the  castle.  If  somebody  were  to  ask 
me  whence  I  came  I  should  answer  that  I  was  coming  from 
school,  that  I  had  stayed  with  a  teacher  in  the  village  of 
Menain  (?)  two  miles  away,  and  had  felt  the  desire  to  come 
home.  I  did  so  and,  thank  God,  I  ran  and  jumped  like 
a  young  deer,  passed  the  castle  and  the  village,  and  was 
seen  by  many  Christians,  who  were  thus  put  to  shame, 
and  their  scheme  failed.  Many  of  our  neighbours  came 
to  the  store  to  tell  my  father :  '  Your  son  whom  we  thought 
dead  has  returned.'  He  answered  them,  'You  are  dead, 
but  we  live  for  ever';  they  almost  revealed  to  him  what 
had  been  in  their  minds.  My  father  further  showed  his 
cleverness  by  telling  my  older  brother  to  put  a  ladder 
to  our  fruit-tree  in  the  garden  and  ordering  me  to  ascend 
the  tree  nearest  the  street  of  the  village  so  that  all 
passers-by  should  see  that  I  was  well.  He  also  ordered 
me  to  be  playful  with  the  village-children,  to  throw  fruits 
into  their  faces,  and  to  call  at  them  and  jest  with  them. 
I  obeyed  and  laughed  while  my  heart  felt  bitter.  Thus 
it  was  through  God's  counsel  that  the  rumours  stopped. 
I  repeated  this  several  times,  but  I  could  not  appear  before 
them  often,  lest  they  should  notice  the  change  in  my 
appearance,  for  I  never  used  to  go  with  a  neckcloth  before, 
and  now  it  was  already  some  days  since  I  had  returned 
from  my  journey.  Once  I  saw  a  gentile  going  before  me 
with  his  hand  on  his  cheeks,  for  he  suffered  from  toothache, 
and  his  face  looked  drawn ;  I  jestingly  remarked, '  \Yoe 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX      297 

unto  you,  I  am  afraid  you  suffer  from  the  plague.5  I  said 
this  to  show  how  healthy  and  merry  I  was,  following  my 
father's  order.  But  he  answered  back,  'You  have  the 
plague  yourself;  remove  that  cloth  from  your  neck,  and 
the  swelling  will  be  seen  underneath.'  I  was  frightened  and 
hid  myself,  but  God  made  the  gentiles  blind  and  forgetful. 

After  a  month  I  came  down  to  the  house  and  mingled 
with  my  brothers  and  sisters  as  before,  participating  in  the 
common  meals,  and  no  one  paid  attention  to  it.  I  grew 
stouter  and  stronger  after  this.  In  the  year  5441  (1680) 
in  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  Tishri,  the  plague  stopped 
in  Prague,  but  in  the  rest  of  Bohemia  it  spread  to  such 
an  extent  that  people  became  tired  of  keeping  away  from 
one  another.  In  our  village  many  even  among  the  people 
of  the  castle  fell  sick  and  died.  My  sister  Leah,  who  was 
then  six  years  old,  got  the  swelling  characteristic  of  the 
plague,  but  it  was  not  so  dangerous,  even  though  it  became 
public,  since  the  Count  had  become  weary  of  taking  pre- 
cautions, and  my  father  did  not  come  to  him.  At  the  end 
of  Kislew  the  plague  stopped,  but  in  Heshvan  the  plague 
had  raged  around  our  neighbourhood,  and  many  Jews  died 
from  it.  In  some  villages  all  the  male  population  died  out, 
and  only  a  few  women  were  left.  No  one  was  there  to 
take  charge  of  the  dead,  who  could  not  be  buried,  for  it 
was  winter  and  the  earth  was  as  hard  as  marble,  and  there 
was  a  heavy  snowfall  in  those  parts ;  so  they  only  covered 
them  with  snow,  and  often  wolves  came  and  ate  the  corpses, 
and  sometimes  dogs  scratched  the  snow  off  the  bodies. 
May  God  have  pity  on  their  souls,  and  may  they  be  bound 
up  in  the  bundle  of  life  with  the  other  righteous.  In 
our  house,  thank  God,  no  one  died.  Only  the  afore- 
mentioned Saul  died  from  the  plague  two  months  after 


298  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

the  Count  had  expelled  him,  so  that  even  this  turned  out 
to  our  good,  for  in  this  way  he  did  not  die  in  our  house. 

In  the  winter  of  5441  (1680-1),  in  the  month  of  Kislew, 
a  great  column  was  seen  in  the  sky  towards  east,  which 
was  very  high,  and  remained  for  a  month.  Some  claimed 
that  it  was  a  natural  phenomenon  called  '  comet ',  which 
sometimes  appears  in  a  very  cold  winter,  but  the  astronomers 
explained  it  in  various  ways,  and  so  it  happened  that  in 
this  year  a  new  great  world  war  (the  Turkish  war)  started, 
which  did  not  end  till  5458  (1698). 

In  this  winter  my  father  made  great  profits,  and  was 
successful  in  all  his  transactions  with  various  kinds  of 
merchandise.  From  my  own  impulse  I  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  to  some  Jewish  community  to  study  Torah.  For 
I  was  ignorant,  and  God  had  shown  his  great  mercy  to  us. 
My  father  promised,  but  did  not  keep  his  word ;  I  often 
saw  guests  come  (with  whom  my  father  went  away)  and 
he  had  promised  to  take  me  with  him  to  Moravia,  but  he 
changed  his  mind.  This  happened  several  times,  and  the 
obstacle  was  that  the  necessary  clothing  for  me  was  not 
ready,  as  no  one  looked  upon  me  with  kindness.  My 
father's  wife  had  her  hands  full  with  her  own  little  ones. 
One  night  before  my  father  was  to  leave  I  was  awake  the 
whole  night  sewing  for  myself  sheepskins  which  are  called 
Pels,  and  I  made  a  kind  of  a  long  gown  for  underwear,  and 
something  for  my  feet.  I  took  secretly  some  shirts  so 
that  my  father  should  not  notice  anything,  and  before 
daybreak  I  went  to  the  place  where  the  sleigh  was  pre- 
pared for  my  father,  and  stayed  there.  When  he  came 
it  was  still  dark  before  daylight,  and  when  he  noticed 
me  he  thought  the  house-dog  was  there,  and  he  wanted  to 
kick  him  away.  I  then  said,  '  Father,  this  is  thy  son  who 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX     299 

is  ready  to  serve  thee  on  the  way  which  I  take  in  order 
to  study.'  There  were  many  strangers  present,  business 
men,  who  had  come  to  buy  wool.  They  saw  my  good 
resolve,  though  I  was  very  young,  and  urged  my  father 
to  take  me  along ;  they  were  sure  I  would  become  a  great 
scholar  and  a  good  man.  My  father  then  answered  that 
it  was  impossible  to  take  me  along,  for  I  had  no  proper 
clothing  and  it  was  very  cold.  I  then  showed  my  clever- 
ness, how  I  had  prepared  for  myself  everything  necessary  for 
the  journey.  He  finally  agreed  and  took  me  along ;  but 
the  cold  was  so  severe  that  several  times  I  thought  I  was 
going  to  die  ;  the  snow  was  falling  and  the  wind  blew  it 
into  our  faces,  and  it  caused  my  father  great  pain ;  it  was 
literally  like  the  sacrifice  of  Isaac  when  they  (he  and 
Abraham)  were  on  the  way,  and  as  the  Midrash  (Tanhuma, 
Vayyera,  §  23,  Yalkut)  tells  us  Satan  brought  them  into  the 
water  up  to  their  throat,  &c.  But  those  who  are  travelling 
for  the  fulfilment  of  a  Miswah  suffer  no  harm  (Pesahim 
8  b),  and  we  reached  Herschmanik.  I  was  left  there  in 
the  house  of  a  teacher,  R.  Jacob  from  Gaja,  and  he 
started  to  study  with  me  Rashi,  Midrash,  other  haggadic 
texts,  and  the  Sayings  of  the  Fathers.  He  noticed  that 
I  could  not  read  properly  through  the  fault  of  my  first 
teacher,  who  had  not  instructed  me  well.  The  little  I  had 
known  I  had  forgotten,  and  I  was  in  great  trouble,  for  the 
new  teacher  was  of  an  irritable  temper,  and  had  neither 
composure  nor  common  sense.  He  hit  me  and  put  me 
to  shame,  but  did  not  make  good  my  deficiency,  and  only 
taught  me  the  melodies  for  the  readings  from  the  Torah  and 
the  Haftarahs  and  a  little  Haggada  and  the  Sayings  of  the 
Fathers.  I  asked  questions  and  searched  in  the  haggadic 
passages,  but  as  he  often  laughed  at  me  I  stopped.  This 


300  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

was  surely  a  grave  mistake,  but  the  teachers  are  foolish, 
and  do  not  realize  the  harm  they  do. 

I  remained  with  him  from  Adar  i,  5441  (1681)  till  the 
middle  of  Tammuz,  boarding  in  his  house.  During  the  first 
two  months,  when  he  had  to  slaughter  calves,  he  gave  me 
good  meals,  the  spleen  and  part  of  the  liver,  but  when 
the  time  of  slaughtering  calves  had  passed,  my  meals 
became  worse  and  worse,  for  poor  though  he  was,  he  was 
rather  fastidious,  and  he  and  his  wife  ate  the  good  things 
themselves  and  gave  me  coarse  village  bread,  which  caused 
me  severe  headaches  and  stomach  trouble.  I  was  there  all 
alone  with  no  relative  near ;  all  the  townspeople  noticed  my 
appearance  and  questioned  me  ;  if  I  had  told  them  it  might 
have  helped 'a  little,  but  I  was  very  modest  and  humble 
and  God-fearing,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  a  sin  to  rebel 
against  my  teacher.  In  the  middle  of  Tammuz,  while  the 
teacher  was  away  from  home,  my  father  came  in  company 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Samson,  and  stayed  for  some  time 
in  the  town.  His  brother-in-law  had  a  son  Sender,  who 
studied  together  with  me  and  knew  all  my  troubles.  He 
told  my  father  everything,  and  although  I  contradicted  him, 
my  father  believed  Sender  and  took  me  away  from 
Herschmanik  and  brought  me  to  Meseritsch,  my  birth- 
place, where  all  my  family  on  my  father's  side  lived  ;  here 
my  two  aunts  were  married,  and  I  had  my  meals  in  the 
house  of  my  aunt  Pessel  and  her  husband  Samuel,  the 
brother  of  my  stepmother.  There  was  also  there  a  good 
and  intelligent  teacher,  Mordecai  from  Brod.  I  went  to 
minyan  (became  Bar-Miswah)  on  Sabbath  Nahamu  ;  they 
furnished  me  with  new  clothes,  and  boys  of  the  same  age  who 
knew  more  than  I  did  were  jealous  of  me.  They  could 
follow  the  teacher  in  the  study  of  Talmud  with  Tosafot  which 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX     301 

I  did  not  know  before,  and  only  began  for  the  first  time  to 
study  here.     They  were  younger  and  went  in  torn  clothes 
and  rags,  as  it  was  usual  in  those  parts.     Therefore  they 
annoyed  me  and  tried  to  disgrace  and  insult  me,  so  that 
I  became  almost  weary  of  my  life.      The  women   of  the 
community   all   praised    me   because    I    was   modest   and 
treated   them   with   respect ;    that   was   another   cause  of 
jealousy.     Their  parents  also  were  jealous  of  my  father 
and  myself;  some  of  them  were  really  bad,  one  Aaron,  the 
son  of  Berl  Pollack,  I  am  sure  is  still  hated  by  the  people 
for  his  wicked  deeds,  which  I  had  occasion  to  observe  ;  the 
other,  Jonathan  ben  Lipman  ben  David,  a  big  lunatic,  is  now, 
I  believe,  a  scholarly  man.  Sometimes  he  would  be  friendly 
with  me.     My  intentions  were  to  devote  myself  exclusively 
to  study  and  good  deeds,  but  there  were  many  obstacles ; 
I  suffered  from  sickness,  I  had  boils  on  my  whole  body  and 
headaches,  my  schoolmates  were  wild   and   ill-mannered, 
and  our  teacher  flattered  us  and  never  wanted  to  exert 
himself;  what  I  needed  was  a  regular  tutor,  but  he  never 
employed  assistants,  nor  did  he  take  pains  himself.     He 
taught  me  a  little  part  of  Kiddushin.     At  the  end  of  the 
summer  he  left  the  place,  and  the  community  engaged 
in  his  place  the  pious  R.  Lazar  of  Cracow,  who  was  married 
to  a  pious,  sensible,  intelligent  woman,   and   gifted   with 
all  good  qualities.     He  taught  us'  Talmud  and  Tosafot, 
she  taught  us  the  fear  of  God  and  a  virtuous   life.     He 
took  great  pains  to  teach  me.     May  he  be  praised  and 
rewarded  for  it.     He  of  all  my  teachers  was  the  one  who 
gave  me  the  key  and  taught  me  more  than  all  those  I  had 
before  or  after,  except  what  I  studied  for  myself.      Still 
the  whole  situation  was  far  from  satisfactory,  for  he  too 
failed  to  employ  an  assistant,  and  sometimes  he  fell  sick  ; 
he  was  also  very  irascible,  while  I  suffered  from  headaches 
VOL.  VIII.  X 


302  THE   JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

during  the  whole  winter.  In  the  summer  5442  (1682)  the 
old  teacher  returned  with  his  wife  Blumele;  they  had 
no  children,  and  flattered  the  pupils  and  their  parents. 
We  learned  with  him  a  little  of  Hullin  and  small  treatises 
of  Moed  without  Tosafot ;  moreover,  I  already  began 
to  study  a  little  Talmud  for  myself.  Altogether  I  stayed 
in  Meseritsch  two  years  and  two  months.  Then  many 
Jews  from  Moravia  came  to  Meseritsch,  Trebitsch,  and 
Polna  on  account  of  the  war,  for  the  Turks  came  to 
besiege  Vienna.  I  then  returned  to  our  house  at  Wostrow, 
and  stayed  there  the  whole  winter  in  greater  discomfort 
than  ever.  Everybody,  including  my  older  brother,  ill- 
treated  me ;  I  was  still  sick  and  looked  bad  till  the  winter 
had  passed.  Then,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  I  went  to  Prague, 
with  no  knowledge  of  the  life  in  a  large  community.  In 
spite  of  this  I  found  maintenance  in  the  house  of  a  rich 
man,  Moses  Ginzburg,  who  had  two  little  boys.  They 
really  needed  a  tutor  better  fitted  than  I  was  to  guide 
them  in  study  and  understanding.  I  had  never  tried  this 
before,  and  could  only  stay  with  them  a  short  time.  Then 
God  sent  me  a  happy  chance,  for  the  scholarly,  acute,  and 
pious  R.  Mordecai,  the  son-in-law  of  the  Dayyan  R.  Perez 
of  Nikolsburg,  who  taught  me  without  pay,  had  another 
pupil,  Sinai  ben  Isaiah  Wagenmacher,  a  boy  ten  years  of 
age,  who  knew  better  how  to  behave  than  I  did,  the  only  son 
of  rich  parents,  fondled  and  spoiled.  By  the  help  of  God 
he  did  not  rebel  against  me.  I  had  only  to  go  over  his 
studies  with  him.  His  parents  were  charitable  people ; 
their  house  was  outside  of  the  street  (ghetto),  on  a  large 
pleasant  place ;  there  I  gained  strength  and  health.  I  lived 
with  them  about  two  years ;  I  felt  as  if  I  dwelt  amid  roses, 
and  never  in  my  life  did  I  feel  as  happy  as  in  those  two 
years.  But  unfortunately  no  one  looked  out  for  me,  and 


A  SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY  AUTOBIOGRAPHY — MARX   303 

I  fell  in  bad  company.  They  talked  to  me  constantly 
about  women,  and  led  me  in  their  ways.  We  were  a  bad 
set  of  young  men,  of  different  ages,  wasting  our  time  with 
useless  things  and  fooling  with  girls,  as  was  their  habit. 
I  finally  came  to  think  that  this  is  the  whole  aim  of  life, 
since  during  the  entire  time  we  never  spoke  of  anything 
but  of  following  the  inclinations  of  the  heart.  The  greater 
part  of  my  days  I  spent  with  my  young  friends  who  lived 
an  immoral  life.  Among  them  were  some  who  were  over 
twenty-three  years  old,  and  had  more  Talmudic  knowledge 
and  better  manners  than  I.  Therefore,  with  the  consent 
of  my  father.  I  joined  them  and  followed  in  their  footsteps, 
like  the  blind  in  the  dark,  thinking  in  my  simplicity  that 
the  purpose  of  good  manners  was  to  find  favour  in  the 
eyes  of  the  girls,  and  that  this  is  human  happiness  in  one's 
youth.  Even  in  the  house  where  I  lived  the  young 
working  men  who  were  employed  in  building  carriages  for 
the  noblemen  were  a  bad  sort ;  their  ringleader  was  a 
certain  Abraham  Bass,  who  was  boisterous  and  wild,  so 
that  I  was  under  evil  influences  from  all  sides.  I  was 
more  passionate  at  that  time  than  ever  again  in  my  life. 
How  happy  should  I  be  now  if  my  father  had  then  given 
me  a  wife.  I  would  have  raised  a  large  family,  no  doubt, 
in  my  early  life,  and  would  now  have  been  in  a  position 
to  retire  from  all  worldly  affairs. 

Now,  unfortunately,  I  am  devoid  of  wisdom  and  intelli- 
gence, without  sons  and  spouse.  I  wish  to  retire  from  the 
affairs  of  this  world,  but  I  do  not  know  whether,  after 
all,  it  would  not  be  better  for  me  to  marry ;  possibly 
I  might  have  pious  children  and  a  capable  wife  who  would 
be  a  help  to  me.  I  wait  for  an  answer  from  God,  that 
he  notify  me  by  a  sign  or  a  dream  or  a  verse,  of  which 
I  might  think  when  I  wake  up,  or  which  a  child  might 

X  2 


304  THE    JEWISH    QUARTERLY    REVIEW 

answer  when  I  ask  for  its  lesson.     May  I  be  successful 
according  to  the  wish  of  God.     Amen. 


Our  author's  account  stops  here,  but  we  gain  a  few 
facts  of  his  later  life  through  some  of  the  entries  in  his 
little  note-book.     At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went,  without 
his  father's  knowledge,  to  a  city  the  name  of  which  is  not 
legible.     The  expense  he  defrayed  with  a  small  sum  of 
money  provided  by  his  grandfather.      He   was   in   great 
distress  ;  when  twenty  he  went  to  Cracow,  where  he  began 
to  repent  his  mode  of  life  and  to  study  more  seriously. 
But,  as  he  intimates  in  the  autobiography,  he  went  around 
much  farther  in  the  course  of  his  life.      From  a  list  of 
resolutions  he  had  made  at  various  times,  beginning  with 
his  recovery  from  the  plague,  we  see  that  in  1695  he  left 
Corfu  for  Venice ;  later  he  stayed  at  Pisa,  where  he  vowed 
to  get  married  in  the  course  of  the  year  if  possible ;  this, 
he  adds,  he  did  after  some  delay.     Again  we  find  him  in 
Zante  selling  Tefillin  and  Mezuzot,  correcting  the  Sefer 
Torah;  and  delivering  a  Derashah  in  the  synagogue,  but  he 
was  the  object  of  raillery  on  the  part  of  the  innkeeper 
with  whom  he  stayed,  until  a  certain  Judah  Modona  took 
him  into  his  house.     Even  then  the  innkeeper  persecuted 
him  and  brought  him  into  trouble  because  he  had  slaughtered 
fowl,  but  at  this  point  the  account  breaks  off.     Evidently 
he  had   become  a  Sofer,  and  therefore  also  we  find  the 
records  of  the  purchase  of  parchments  at  the  end  of  the 
volume. 

We  do  not  hear  any  more  about  our  hero,  but  his 
further  fate  is  of  no  material  importance  to  us.  Of  course, 
it  would  have  been  interesting  to  read  his  impressions  of 
the  various  communities  he  visited,  but  this  would  hardly 
equal  the  quaint  account  of  his  younger  years. 


.  JBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  071  565     6 


